Our perception of time is somewhere in between reality and our expectations

Discussion in 'Human Science' started by Plazma Inferno!, Aug 15, 2016.

  1. Plazma Inferno! Ding Ding Ding Ding Administrator

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    New research, using a Bayesian inference model of audio and visual stimuli, has shown how our perception of time lies mid-way between reality and our expectations.
    90 participants were tested across four experiments, and asked to report on the timing of the last event in a regular sequence of beeps or flashes.
    The findings, published in Scientific Reports, displayed that participants anticipated future occurrences of the stimuli in line with the regular pattern, but the perceived accuracy of their response differed from reality when the stimuli was either accelerated or delayed.
    If the timing was regular, participants were able to anticipate the stimulus. However, when the final stimulus was delivered early, the participants perceived that it had occurred 'only slightly earlier' than expected, around halfway between their predicted response and the reality.
    Similarly, when the final stimulus was delivered late, the participants had a similar perception of halfway between their prediction and the reality.
    The researchers, from the universities of Birmingham and Sussex, believe their findings suggest that humans do not perceive time as it really is -- rather as a mid-way between reality and their expectations. These findings suggest that the brain continuously updates the probability of encountering future stimuli based on prior experiences.

    https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160713101511.htm
     

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